New Zealand

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report he got a report of a third positive test yesterday evening.

"We're getting all the information together and we'll update everybody at the same time at the update this afternoon," Bloomfield said.

He said the positive Covid-19 result was not of the partner of the Auckland woman who tested positive on Tuesday.

"The swab for the partner of the second case is being processed today, so the positive result we received last night is a different case."

The World Health Organisation said on its website that a second New Zealand case had been confirmed.

The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the citizen is a woman in her 30s who had recently returned from a trip to Italy.

The positive test result was formally reported to the ministry at about 6pm yesterday. At that point, health authorities began notifying the woman and her family and started the process of contact tracing.

The woman returned on an Air New Zealand flight NZ0283, from Singapore to Auckland on 25 February.

Samoa's Ministry of Health issued a directive on Saturday (local time) saying there was an increased risk of COVID-19 entering the country after New Zealand diagnosed its first case.

Ardern says it is up to each country what safety precautions they impose and how they deal with the disease.

"Ultimately, our Pacific Island nations are going to make their own decisions around how they wish to manage potential human-to-human transmission," she says.

On Friday, a New Zealander in their 60s tested positive for the coronavirus in Auckland after returning from Iran.

Samoa's government said New Zealand's first case of the virus had elevated the risk of it entering Samoa from high to very high.

As a result, it said from 12AM on Monday 2 March, Samoa Airways would only provide three flights each week from New Zealand, instead of the usual five.

Air New Zealand would also reduce its flights to Samoa from six each week to three, the government said.

The Ministry of Health said the tests were mainly precautionary and not necessarily suspected cases of coronavirus.

A total of 122 tests have been done across three laboratories In Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

All have returned negative results.

Health officials have urged people to get winter flu vaccines this year. The Ministry of Health said the flu shot would not stop people getting Covid-19, but it would help prevent them getting seriously ill.

WWE announced today it will be bring WWE Live to Spark Arena on August 8.

It's the first time a WWE event will be in New Zealand since Christchurch hosted one in 2017.

WWE said fans can expect stars such as Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Bobby Lashley, among many others, to feature at the event.

Tickets for the show go on sale at 10am on Tuesday, March 3 but presales begin this Thursday.

Adams best throw was 18.73 metres, with Mitton throwing 18.84 to claim the title.

Canadian Brittany Crew was third.

It was Adams third event back competing after giving birth to her second child.

Adams, who will wrap up her New Zealand season at next month's Nationals in Christchurch, says it was good to be challenged in Aotearoa.

Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said the so-called "winter surge" was now "the new normal" in many hospitals.

"It's not unusual for our medical wards to be over 100 percent occupancy even outside the winter surge.

"So if we get flu at the same time as Covid-19, that seems like too many things."

Health workers had borne the brunt of the Covid-19 outbreak in China and their experience showed clear protocols and protective equipment were needed now, before the virus arrived, she said.

The Samoa Observer reported that Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff's sudden resignation was confirmed by the Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi on Thursday afternoon.

Lemalu tendered his resignation at a meeting with the Prime Minister earlier in the day which reportedly came as a shock to many.

Commenting on the resignation Tuilaepa said there were opportunities in New Zealand for Lemalu to advance his knowledge as a lawyer.

Lemalu has been the country's attorney-general for the last four years with his first three year term having just been extended last year.

Slater, 47, holds the record for being both the youngest and oldest World Championin the men's ranks.

He won his first world title in 1992 at the age of 20 and his last was in 2011.

The Piha Pro will be the first time Slater has competed in New Zealand since 1993.

The Piha Pro is one stop on the newly-announced WSL Challenger Series which will see more than 100 surfers chasing qualifying for the elite Championship Tour in 2021.